Page 5 - Aviation News

CCI dismisses complaint against IndiGo, A-I over alleged market dominance

Fair trade regulator CCI on Wednesday dismissed a complaint alleging abuse of market dominance by InterGlobe Aviation and Air India. The complainant alleged that the domestic carriers were maintaining unconscionable and illegal rates of cancellation charges and imposing arbitrary conditions and prices for the sale of services. According to the complainant, InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, held more than 65 per cent share in the domestic aviation sector, while Air India accounted for around 27 per cent. Together, both these players control about 90 per cent of the market share, raising concerns of dominance and possible anti-competitive practices, as per the complaint. After examining the information, the Commission said the allegations did not establish any prima facie violation of competition law provisions. CCI noted that the allegation of abuse of dominance does not warrant further examination as OPs (InterGlobe Aviation and Air India) have in place a system for refu

Months after IndiGo meltdown, CEO resigns; Bhatia to take interim role

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers resigns citing personal reasons three months after the airline's operational meltdown, with promoter and MD Rahul Bhatia set to lead as interim chief

Akasa Air unveils long-term incentive plan to retain pilots amid hiring war

Akasa Air has launched a long-term incentive plan offering up to ₹25 lakh for captains to retain pilots amid rising competition in India's fast-growing aviation sector

Air India, AI Express to operate 60 flights to West Asia on Tuesday

Air India and Air India Express will operate a total of 60 flights to and from cities in the Middle East, including 32 non-scheduled services connecting the UAE. Amid the escalating Middle East conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran, airlines are operating services in a calibrated manner as there are airspace restrictions and closures in the region. On Tuesday, Air India and Air India Express will together operate 14 flights to and from Jeddah, while Air India Express will operate 14 services to and from Muscat. "In addition to the scheduled services, Air India and Air India Express would operate a total of 32 ad hoc non-scheduled flights between Indian cities and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 10 March 2026, subject to the availability of slots and other conditions prevailing at the respective point of departure at the time," a statement said on Monday. These 32 flights will connect to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah from different Indian cities. Akasa Air sai

IndiGo London-Mumbai flight diverted to Cairo; Delhi-Manchester returns

Another IndiGo flight operating from London Heathrow to Mumbai, diverted to Cairo on March 8 due to Flight Duty Time Limitations, and will resume its journey on March 10

Embraer sees E175 assembly in India in 2028 if it secures 200 orders

Earlier this ​year, Embraer and India's Adani Group had announced a memorandum of understanding to establish a final assembly ‌line for the Brazilian firm's first-generation jetliners in India

AAP MP Raghav Chadha urgers govt to open Udan Yatri Cafes at more airports

The Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Monday urged the government to ensure that more Udan Yatri Cafes are opened at airports across the country to provide affordable eating options to passengers. Raising the issue in the special mentions in Rajya Sabha, he lauded the Udan Yatri Cafes, a government-backed initiative providing affordable, high-quality snacks and beverages at major Indian airports. Chadha, however, said that the "ground reality" is that these cafes are only there at a few airports. "Usually, passengers eat in the waiting area before boarding, but the Udan Yatri cafes are before check-in and security, so passengers are not able to use them," he said. "Due to limited counters, there are long queues, especially during peak traffic hours. Further, the limited menu options and capacity constraints restrict accessibility," he added. Chadha urged the government to ensure these affordable cafes are opened at all airports and are made more accessible.

Air India Express, Akasa add flights to Ahmedabad for T20 World Cup final

Air India Express and Akasa Air on Friday announced that they will operate special flights to Ahmedabad, providing more travel options to the city for the T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand on March 8. "To facilitate cricket fans travelling to witness the final, the airline will operate additional flights to Ahmedabad from Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. These flights have been scheduled in response to the sharp increase in demand for travel to the city as fans across the country plan to attend the highly anticipated match," Air India Express said in a release. The airline also said it continues to closely monitor booking trends and might consider further capacity enhancements based on demand. Akasa Air will operate special direct flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on March 8 and 9, complementing its existing network between the two cities. "SkyLights will illuminate the cabin with the colours of the Indian tricolour, leveraging the dynamic lighting featur

Noida International Airport gets DGCA aerodrome licence ahead of launch

DGCA has granted an aerodrome licence to Noida International Airport, enabling it to advance its approvals process even as the project faces delays in terminal construction and operational readiness

Air India to launch Hanoi-Delhi, Tokyo-Mumbai non-stop flights services

Air India on Thursday announced the launch of its non-stop flight services on the Hanoi-Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda)-Mumbai routes starting in the June quarter as part of its expansion across Asia. The Tata group airline already operates to Vietnam and Japan with flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo (Haneda) from the national capital. The new five-time weekly services to Hanoi, starting from May 1, will complement daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City. This provides greater flexibility to travellers who intend to visit Vietnam with open jaw itineraries-entering from Hanoi and exiting Ho Chi Minh City or vice versa, Air India said, adding these services will be operated with a A320neo aircraft in a three-calss configuration--business Premium economy as well as Economy Class. The opening of this new route adds 7,028 seats to and from Vietnam each month, Air India said. Vietnam, which now ranks as the third-most-visited country in Southeast Asia, having recorded over 20 million visitors in

IndiGo may face further downgrades as Iran conflict clouds outlook

IndiGo's earlier positive outlook has been upended by the Iran conflict, with airspace closures, rising fuel costs and operational disruptions raising the risk of further valuation downgrades

Air India to add more flights to Toronto, Frankfurt, Paris amid high demand

Air India on Wednesday announced the deployment of additional flights to Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to cater to high demand amid the ongoing situation in West Asia. Air India's low-cost subsidiary Air India Express also announced that its air services to Muscat will remain operational, besides mounting additional flights between Muscat and Delhi and Mumbai. As part of this, the Tata group-owned airline will operate three additional flights between Delhi and Toronto from March 5 -11, besides adding three flights between Delhi and Frankfurt, and one flight between Delhi and Paris (Charles de Gaulle) from March 7 -10 March, Air India said. These additional services will provide more flight options to travellers on these select routes with convenient connections beyond Delhi to destinations across Air India's vast domestic India and Southeast Asia networks. Air India also said that it will continue to "closely assess" the situation and will add flights on these ..

Oman Air Cargo to add India, Europe network capacity in coming days

Oman Air Cargo, a key cargo carrier in the Middle East, has announced to add network capacity to various destinations, including India, soon. The cargo player has suspended flights to and from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Dubai due to ongoing regional airspace closures. "Extra belly hold capacity will also be added to our network over the coming days through new flights between Oman, the United Kingdom, Europe, India, and Asia," the company said in a statement. "Flights across the rest of our network may be delayed as a result of longer flight paths. We are working to ensure that all affected cargo is rescheduled once we have more clarity on airspace restrictions," it added. "All customers are being contacted to confirm the status of their cargo, and we will continue to provide regular operational updates. The safety of our staff remains our priority, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities and airport partners to ensure that all necessary precautions are in

West Asia crisis: IndiGo to operate 10 relief flights from Jeddah on Tue

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on X on Monday night that it continued to closely monitor the situation in the West Asia region to facilitate relief for passengers

Aloke Singh to step down as Air India Express MD after five-year tenure

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh will exit on 19 March after steering the airline through privatisation, a merger with AirAsia India, a four-fold fleet expansion and a major brand overhaul

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh to step down after tenure ends on March 19

Air India Express Managing Director Aloke Singh will step down from his post on March 19 after completion of his tenure, sources said on Monday. Singh, who joined the then government-owned Air India Express as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on November 9, 2020, continued to be at the helm after the Tata Group took over the carrier in January 2022. "After 5 extraordinary years, my tenure at AIX will conclude on March 19th. I could not be prouder of what we built and who we became in building it," Singh said in a message to the staff on Monday. On March 20, 2023, Singh was appointed as the MD for a three-year period. During his stewardship, the merger of Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) was completed, and also Air India Express' fleet increased from 26 planes to more than 100. Captain Hamish Maxwell, who is the Chief Operations Officer, will be the new Accountable Manager for the airline, as per the message. Currently, Singh is the MD and Accountable

Dubai main airports suspend all flights following Iran missile attacks

The escalating situation across the Gulf region following the joint Israel-US attacks on Iran has majorly disrupted flight connections in and out of Dubai, a major aviation destination and a commercial hub on Saturday. Regional airspace closures have caused disruption to several flights in the overall Gulf region too. "Some flights have been canceled or delayed at @DXB and Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International (DWC) as a result of the partial closure of the airspace of the United Arab Emirates," a statement by the Dubai airport said. "We kindly ask you to contact your airline and refrain from heading to DXB or DWC at this time," it added. Dubai Airports owns and manages the operation and development of both of Dubai's airports Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). Over 100 airlines operate flights to and from Dubai to almost all countries across continents. Regional airspace closures have caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air

Domestic air passenger traffic rises 4.36% to 15.25 million in Jan: DGCA

India's domestic air passenger traffic grew 4.36 per cent year-on-year to 152.49 lakh in January 2026 over the corresponding month of last year, according to DGCA data. The domestic carriers, including four major ones, IndiGo, Air India Group, SpiceJet and Akasa Air, together had flown a total of 146.11 lakh passengers in January 2025 on local routes, data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) late Friday evening showed. Gurugram-headquartered IndiGo, which faced massive operational disruptions on account of stricter norms for pilots' rest and duty period in December and lost about 4 per cent market share in the previous month, wrested it back with 63.6 per cent market share, having flown 97.04 lakh passengers during the reporting month. On the contrary, Air India Group lost nearly three per cent market share at 26.5 per cent ( 40.34-lakh passengers) sequentially in the previous month, according to data. In terms of passenger load factor, Akasa Air recorded t

No fee for air ticket cancellation within 48 hours: Know about new rules

Airline ticket new rules: New framework by aviation regulator mandates free name corrections and 14-day refund timelines

Emirates SkyCargo to deploy 2 more weekly freighters to India

Gulf carrier Emirates' cargo arm SkyCargo on Thursday said it has expanded capacity in India with the deployment of two additional weekly freighter services, one each to Mumbai and Ahmedabad, starting from next month. SkyCargo also said it continues to strengthen trade lanes and connect businesses in India with their partners, suppliers, and customers worldwide, with an average cargo uplift of 3,000 tonnes weekly. Beyond aircraft capacity, Emirates SkyCargo said it has built a vast trucking network, to reach more offline destinations across India. Emirates currently serves India with three weekly freighters one to Mumbai and two to Ahmedabad as well as bellyhold capacity in 167 passenger services to nine gateways per week. The new freighter service to Mumbai will start on March 4, and connect Dubai, Singapore and India. Ahmedabad service will be a direct, dedicated freighter starting next month, it stated. The cargo airline said it expects to carry key commodities such as ...